Each of these stretchers comprises a chain, made up of links having the following configuration; on one side, they have the conventional teeth which engage a feed cogwheel, and on the other side, they have a flat surface ending in a perpedicular side ledge, which, when coming into contact with the ledges of the adjacent links, forces the chain to a condition of straight and undeformable rigid alignment, just in one sense, whereas in the opposite sense it may take on the conventional flexible conformations. Each chain has one end pivoted to the external side edges of the elastic frames, whereas the other end is introduced into the same frames, at a tangent to the upper juncture of the shoulders, engages the feed cogwheel and is extended inside the container carter or cover in which is placed the second end pivot. The extension of the chains outside the frame may be adjusted depending on the type, size and length of the sleeves to be ironed.
At present certain devices are known in the literature in this field which are more or less effective or rational. These devices are employed manually or automatically for ironing sleeves of knitted garments and the like on ironing machines. Though these devices have proved to be undoubtedly effective, nonetheless, they do have certain disadvantages.
More specifically, it was noted that the devices with a flexible cable may be easily used to stretch short sleeves of knitted garments but when stretching long sleeves they are not so effective due to the excessive flexibility of the cables. The complementary elastic elements have the disadvantage of having to be inserted manually into the sleeves of the garment, entering through the neck opening. This operation, in the case of many garments, may prove awkward due to the very shape of the opening and, in any case, is burdensome, somewhat imprecise and requires a certain waste of time which tends to slow down production schedules. Lastly, the automatically insertable side devices, though for the most part very effective, have the disadvantage of being costly as regards construction.